In therapeutic hypothermia treatment, the brain temperature of a patient is rapidly decreased, and the state thereof must be maintained for a prescribed period of time. In order to do so, a blanket that covers a portion of the body of the patient is utilized. For said type of blanket, a sheet which covers the body wherein flow channels for flowing liquid are formed is known (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-532141). By properly controlling the temperature of said liquid, heat is exchanged between said liquid and the body surface of the patient, via said sheet, and the body temperature of the patient is adjusted.
When the body surface of a patient is cooled in the abovementioned manner, cold receptors distributed throughout the skin are activated, whereby small blood vessels in the skin contract and blood flow is restricted. Heat in organisms is transmitted most efficiently by blood. However, when cutaneous blood flow is restricted, even if the body surface is cooled, heat is not readily transmitted to the center thereof, and there are cases in which regulation of brain temperature and the like are hindered.